Go do something cool today!

1. 9mm- Winchester also has a military contract
2. .40 S&W- Number one LEO round
3. .38 Special- I found this surprising
4. .45ACP
5. .380ACP
6. .357 Sig

I’m walking through the back yard, and I find this 16 Meg memory stick, laying in the dirt.  I pick it up, and plug it into a card reader.  It shows as blank, but using some recovery software, I find 8 pics.  Boring pics, but still amusing.  A small window into the lives of those that lived in this house before me.

Some of you will get a laugh out of this.   Looking back through emails from the past, I stumbled upon an email that we all got a laugh about…  One of the early on hires at Voxeo, didn’t really fit in with our corporate culture, and he was sure everything we were doing was wrong.  Finally, we were freed from him, and this is a personal email he sent to myself, the CEO, and another employee.  Good stuff.  We had about 1/2 day of laugh from this one.  Those that know him, will laugh remembering.

From SMFeiner@aol.com

To rob@robpatton.com

Dear Rob. You are most welcome. As I do not remember uttering any kind words to your face, but only civil, professional interaction, always with tension and undisguised mistrust.

Mark

He went on publicly to talk about how Voxeo would be out of business in 3 months, and he would get the last laugh.  Well, its been 7 years and 3 months.  He must have meant 8 years and 3 months.  That must be it.

Who is to be blamed for this?  Higgins!

Dayton, Ohio police say that a 72 year old man was driving down the road at 6 PM on Saturday, when 24 year old Phillip Anderson cut him off.  Anderson is alleged to have then jumped out of his car and pointed an AK-47 at the elderly man, saying “give me all you got.”  The 72 year old robber victim, who had a concealed carry permit, is said to have pulled out his own handgun and shot Anderson in self defense.  Anderson, who survived, faces aggravated robbery charges.  The 72 year old concealed carry permit holder was unharmed, and will not face charges for defending himself.

Few unarmed senior citizens can fight off a younger, stronger, and faster attacker – even if that attacker is unarmed.  When those criminals are armed (which is often the case, since criminals ignore gun control laws), elderly victims are at an even greater disadvantage.  The result is often terrible for that senior citizen, as well as their loved ones.

Armed senior citizens, on the other hand, have the best possible chance of defending themselves against attack by criminals.  This armed 85 year old woman held a home invader at gunpoint, and made him call the police on himself.  This armed 93 year old man shot a home invader in self defense after the home invader began to attack him.  This armed 70 year old woman held an intruder at gunpoint until the police arrived to arrest him.  This armed 91 year old man used his handgun to fend off two home invader who had broken in and threatened his wheelchair-bound wife with their guns.  This armed 84 year old man used his handgun to stop a criminal who repeatedly tried to enter his home through the front door, back door, and a window.  I could go on with more examples, but the point should be clear: gun ownership saves lives every day and allows crime victims stop even the strongest of criminals.

The 2006 Florida Statutes

Title XI

County Organization and Intergovernmental Relations

163.04 Energy devices based on renewable resources.–

(1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or other provision of general or special law, the adoption of an ordinance by a governing body, as those terms are defined in this chapter, which prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the installation of solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources is expressly prohibited.

(2) No deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources from being installed on buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements. A property owner may not be denied permission to install solar collectors or other energy devices based on renewable resources by any entity granted the power or right in any deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement to approve, forbid, control, or direct alteration of property with respect to residential dwellings not exceeding three stories in height. For purposes of this subsection, such entity may determine the specific location where solar collectors may be installed on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south provided that such determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar collectors.

(3) In any litigation arising under the provisions of this section, the prevailing party shall be entitled to costs and reasonable attorney’s fees.

(4) The legislative intent in enacting these provisions is to protect the public health, safety, and welfare by encouraging the development and use of renewable resources in order to conserve and protect the value of land, buildings, and resources by preventing the adoption of measures which will have the ultimate effect, however unintended, of driving the costs of owning and operating commercial or residential property beyond the capacity of private owners to maintain. This section shall not apply to patio railings in condominiums, cooperatives, or apartments.

History.–s. 8, ch. 80-163; s. 1, ch. 92-89; s. 14, ch. 93-249

Copyright 1995-2006 The Florida Legislature

5 Tips on Proper Geek Male Maintenance

1. Geek Males often work in fields that cause them to have to think a great deal and work long or irregular hours. This generally results in what I call “hurty brain”*

   *Hurty Brain stems from the repeated misfiring of synapses that occurs when a question is asked of a geek that is light years behind what they specialize in.

   Talking to them when they are fresh off dealing with the “raging stupid” is likely a bad idea as they aren’t always able to distinguish you from the enemy while suffering from “Hurty Brain”.

   Crack them a beer or pour them a glass of whatever they prefer and let them be for a while. Giving them time to read webcomics or kill a few things on the PS3 lets them unwind, allows the brain to repair itself and gives the beast within time to settle down.

2. Geek Males need play time. Whether it’s Xbox, Warcraft, or building PC’s from parts, geek guys need time to engage in said activities. Without harassment. You may not know a Tauren from a Master Chief, but just because you may not get it doesn’t mean he doesn’t think its pretty dang awesome.

   Side note: This is true for any hobby, really. If you haven’t found a way to give your guy a couple of nights to do what he likes without interruption, you’re going to find yourself single fairly soon.

   If you engage in the same activities (and enjoy them – no fair just “pretending” so you can be included), that opens up the possibilities. Heck, girls like Magic just as much as boys do and any Geek worth his salt loves a woman who knows how rock the DPS. 😉

   2a. NOTE: Geeks do have a tendency to lose track of time and may go over limit. Pulling your geek away from his hobbies may at times seem daunting, but I’m sure you can think of a way to get his attention ;-).

3. Let’s talk about movies. Be fair. Really. Asking a guy to watch a “chick flick” is already asking a lot. (On a side note, I’ve never really understood why women ask that. I mean, why would you want to torment a guy? ::grin:: Don’t you have girlfriends to go to the movies with?)

   Solution? Trade off. If you’re going to ask him to watch Steel Magnolias, you’d better be ready to watch Buckaroo Banzai. Know what I mean?

4. Buying him a present? Want to know what he wants? Giftcards. Giftcards. Giftcards.

   Why? Because Geek males are horridly self sufficient. You’re going to buy him a book or a game and you’ll be –so- proud of yourself that you remembered he wanted the new David Weber hardback when you were at the mall.

   But by the time you’re ready to give it to him he’ll walk into the house with a bag from Best Buy or Borders because he got it for himself. Yeah, I’m looking at you.

5. Lastly, and perhaps the most challenging…engaging the geek male in conversation. Obviously you got through the door if you’re reading this list and taking notes, but knowing how to communicate with the opposite sex is what makes or breaks any relationship.

   Learn how to speak Geek or at least learn to actively listen to the Geek in your life.

   For reference, let’s define what “geek” means, and for that we call upon the words of a college professor: Being a geek means possessing and being passionate about knowledge that no one cares about or considers.

   No one.

   So, you can see that the geek male is largely ignored throughout his natural life, even amongst his own people. There is hope because being male, geek males understand the logic of an argument even if the rest of the natural world believes the argument to be nonsense. The key is to counter his geek with your own.

   There’s got to be something inside you, or easily accessible that you can call into discussion as a parallel to form an argument. Draw the parallel and you’re good. He may not understand it in perfect context, but he will acknowledge your passion for it and your attempt at relating.

   He may also secretly wet himself a little.

I think I like these rules, when can we get them here?

The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement agencies that recent news is helping “right-wing extremist groups” recruit new members and could lead to violence, and warns about the possible recruitment and radicalization of returning veterans.

The report, issued last week, is part of an ongoing review of extremists on both ends of the political spectrum.

The latest assessment by DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis found no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but right-wing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on fears about the recession and the election of the first African American president. The office called them “unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment.”

“Right-wing extremists have capitalized on the election of the first African American president, and are focusing their efforts to recruit new members, mobilize existing supporters and broaden their scope and appeal through propaganda, but they have not yet turned to attack planning,” the assessment reads.

“The current economic and political climate has some similarities to the 1990s when right-wing extremism experienced a resurgence fueled largely by an economic recession, criticism about the outsourcing of jobs and the perceived threat to U.S. power and sovereignty by other foreign powers.,” it continues.

The report also suggests that returning veterans are attractive recruits for right-wing groups looking for “combat skills and experience” so as to boost their “violent capabilities.” It adds that new restrictions on gun ownership and the difficulty of veterans to reintegrate into their communities “could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.”

“Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of right-wing extremist groups … The high volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by right-wing extremists in anticipation of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement,” the report says.

The assessment notes that right-wing recruitment grew in the 1990s but subsided after increased scrutiny by the government following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings.

It does state that in 2009 “threats from white supremacist and violent antigovernment groups … have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts.”

“Nevertheless, the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn-including real estate foreclosures, unemployment, and an inability to obtain credit-could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past,” reads a key finding in the assessment.

DHS spokeswoman Sara Kuban said the April 7 assessment is one in an ongoing series published by DHS “to facilitate a greater understanding of radicalization in the United States.”

“DHS has no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but right-wing extremists may be gaining new recruitments by playing on their fears about several emerging issues,” Kuban said.

But some critics have said the DHS is equating conservative views to right-wing terrorism, but a DHS official countered that earlier this year, the department issued a mirror intelligence assessment of left-wing extremist groups.

“This is the job of DHS, to assess what is happening in this country, with regard to homegrown terrorism, and determine whether it’s an actual threat or not, and that’s what these assessments do. This is nothing unusual. These assessments are done all the time. This is about awareness,” the official told FOX News on Monday.

FOX News has obtained a copy of the assessment, dated Jan. 26 and titled “Left-wing Extremists Likely to Increase Use of Cyberattacks Over the Coming Decade.” It concentrates largely on the technical savvy of left-wing extremists and not bloodshed.

“The perception that cyberattacks are non-violent aligns well with ideological beliefs, strategic objectives and tactics of many left-wing extremists,” the earlier report reads. “The increasing reliance of commercial business and other enterprises on cyber technologies, including interconnected networks and remote access, creates new and expanding vulnerabilities that technically savvy left-wing extremists will exploit.”

The report specifically mentions “eco-terrorist” Earth Liberation Front, which has been accused of firebombing construction sites, logging companies, car dealerships and food science labs. The report notes that left-wing extremists prefer economic damage on businesses to get the message across.

“Their no-harm doctrine includes claiming to ensure the safety of humans, animals and the environment even as they attack businesses and associated operations,” the report reads. ” Direct actions range from animal releases, property theft, vandalism and cyber attacks, all of which extremists regard as non-violent, to bombings and arson.”

The assessment says it “focuses on the more prominent leftwing groups within the animal rights, environmental, and anarchist extremist movements that promote or have conducted criminal or terrorist activities.”

Click here for a link to the assessment report on right-wing extremists (pdf).

Click here for a link to the assessment report on left-wing extremists (pdf).

1 day of “excess” has cost me, it seems.   I took a 1.5/2.0 pound penalty for a crazy lunch and a night out at Wing House.

This might make it more difficult to make a goal set for 4/4.  Guess I’ll have to behave for the next few days, and visit the gym every night.